Cristhian Rivera, the man who was arrested for the murder of University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts, has caught the attention of President Donald Trump. It was only a matter of time until the president chimed in on the incident, with Rivera reportedly living in the United States illegally for up to seven years.
At a rally in Charleston, West Virginia late Tuesday night, just hours after Rivera’s arrest, Trump commented on the situation and used it as a way to continue his push for stronger immigration laws.
“You heard about today with the illegal alien coming in, very sadly, from Mexico, and you saw what happened to that incredible, beautiful young woman. Should’ve never happened. Illegally in our country,” Trump said. “We’ve had a huge impact but the laws are so bad,” he continued. “The immigration laws are such a disgrace. We’re getting them changed, but we have to get more Republicans.”
“It should have never happened…the immigration laws are such a disgrace”: President Trump appears to refer to Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts’ murder. An undocumented man was charged with her killing today. https://t.co/W39wCNuPot pic.twitter.com/2oZbEYWtW7
— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 21, 2018
The 24-year-old suspect is believed to have abducted Tibbetts while she was out for a jog in her hometown of Brooklyn, Iowa. Rivera, a Mexican national, is being held on a federal immigration detainer.
From CBS News:
Rivera said Tibbetts grabbed her phone and said “I’m gonna call the police,” according to the affidavit. Rivera said he “panicked and got mad,” and then said he “blocked” his memory, “which is what he does when he gets very upset.” He said he couldn’t remember anything after that until he came to at an intersection.
Rivera said he made a U-turn and drove into the driveway of a cornfield, where he saw an earpiece from headphones in his lap, “and that is how he realized he put her in the trunk.”
Rivera told police he got Tibbetts from the trunk and noticed blood on the side of her head, the affidavit says. He described her clothing and said she was wearing headphones. He said he dragged her on foot from his vehicle to a secluded location in the cornfield and then put her on his shoulder and took her about 20 meters into the field. He allegedly said he covered Tibbetts in corn leaves and left her face-up.
Our thoughts are with Tibbetts’ family and friends during this tragic time.
